for videos and activities. Looking for lyrics. Turn on closed captions to sing along. Big thanks to all of our fans out there, big and small. Traditional. Arranged and adapted by Sockeye Media LLC © 2014. All rights reserved. "Pop Goes the Weasel" Lyrics:. Round and round the cobbler's bench,. The monkey chased the weasel. |--| The monkey thought it was all in fun. |--| Pop. Goes the weasel. A penny for a spool of thread,. A penny for a needle. |--| That's the way the money goes. |--| Pop. Goes the weasel. Historical Background. Dating back to the 1700s, "Pop Goes the Weasel" originated from Cockney Rhyming Slang, a system of cryptic phrases used by Cockneys and poor Londoners. Rhyming Slang is created by finding a rhyme for a given word, identifying a synonym for the rhyme, and then substituting the synonym for the original word. For example, "head" rhymes with "bread," and the Cockney Rhyming Slang for "head" is "loaf." Cockneys created the secret slang because of their suspicion of strangers and strong dislike for the police. "Pop" is the slang word for pawn, and "weasel" originates from "weasel and stout," meaning coat. During difficult financial times, poor commoners would pawn their suits on Mondays and reclaim it before Sunday in order to be properly dressed for church. Thus, the birth of the saying "Pop Goes the Weasel.".